1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved system and method for discharging and recharging metal-fuel material employed in metal-air fuel cell battery (FCB) systems and devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/944,507, Applicant discloses several types of novel metal-air fuel cell battery (FCB) systems. During power generation, metal-fuel tape is transported over a stationary cathode structure in the presence of an ionically-conducting medium, such as an electrolyte-impregnated gel. In accordance with well known principles of electro-chemistry, the transported metal-fuel tape is oxidized as electrical power is produced from the system.
Metal-air FCB systems of the type disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/944,507 have numerous advantages over prior art electrochemical discharging devices. For example, one advantage is the generation of electrical power over a range of output voltage levels required by particular electrical load conditions. Another advantage is that oxidized metal-fuel tape can be repeatedly reconditioned (i.e. recharged) during battery recharging cycles carried out during electrical discharging operation, as well as separately therefrom.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,370, Applicant discloses an improved system and method for recharging oxidized metal-fuel tape used in prior art metal-air FCB systems. By integrating a recharging head within a metal-air FCB discharging system, this technological improvement theoretically enables quicker recharging of metal-fuel tape for reuse in FCB discharging operations. In practice, however, a number of important problems have remained unsolved which has hitherto rendered rechargeable FCB system; inefficient.
In particular, prior art FCB systems have suffered from problems associated with over and under recharging oxidized metal-fuel tape produced during discharging operations. Consequently, it has not been possible to optimally recharge metal-fuel tape using prior art recharging systems and methodologies.
Also, when using prior art FCB systems, it has not been possible to optimally discharge metal-fuel tape using prior art tape discharging systems and methodologies.
Thus there is a great need in the art for an improved method and apparatus for discharging and recharging metal-fuel material employed in metal-air FCB systems, while overcoming the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art technologies.